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Political Wisdom: Israel’s Reality Check

The consequences of an Israeli military strike on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla that has left at least nine dead is still unfolding, but the news is a stark reminder of how tenuous diplomatic ties are in the Middle East. (For more, read this Wall Street Journal story.)

…the bottom line for Washington is that the U.S. can not ignore this or try to hope that it will pass quickly so that it can resume business as usual. It is rapidly spiraling into one of the most intensely galvanizing issues in the Arab media — and around the world — since the Israeli war on Gaza itself. If Obama goes ahead and meets with Netanyahu as if nothing happened, then his administration’s outreach to the Muslim communities of the world is effectively over.

In other words, there’s a huge unwillingness on the Israeli right to face reality — that Israel is fast losing friends and allies in the world, and that this government in Jerusalem has only accelerated the shift. It’s not hard to imagine boycott campaigns gaining momentum, damaging the Israeli economy and isolating the country diplomatically, especially in Europe. The one thing that might extrictate Israel from this mess is a violent response from the Palestinian side — which never misses an opportunity to miss an opportunity. Stay tuned.

Jonathan Schanzer at The Weekly Standard adds another layer to the debate, noting that the flotilla involved in the strike is funded by a group identified as a terrorist organization:

Thus, the convoy of ships allegedly trying to bring aid to the Gaza Strip could never be characterized as a “peace flotilla.” With ties to Hamas and other dangerous groups, the IHH can only be described as a dangerous organization. Its members only underscored this fact when they attacked Israeli naval personnel with iron bars and knives, ultimately leading to the regrettable deaths this morning on the Mediterranean Sea.